Dorothy Penman Harrison, 1907-2010

Activist, leader of national African-American service group

December 27, 2010|By Bonnie Miller Rubin, Tribune reporter

During her time as treasurer and president with Delta Sigma Theta sorority, the nation's largest public service organization for African-American women, Dorothy Penman Harrison met many luminaries, including first lady Mamie Eisenhower and President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House.

"For a woman who was born at a time when she was presumed to fail, she beat the odds, leaving a legacy for all that would follow behind her," said her great-great-niece, Stephanie Smith.

Mrs. Harrison, 103, an educator and advocate, died Wednesday, Dec. 22, in Flossmoor after a brief illness.

Born in Portsmouth, Ohio, Mrs. Harrison was the daughter of a teacher and a chef. After graduating from high school in 1924, she attended Fisk University in Nashville, where she studied history.

"She had an innate desire to be educated," said Smith, who forged a close relationship with her aunt, despite their 70-year age difference. "She was really ahead of her time."

When both her parents died in 1926, Mrs. Harrison returned to Ohio to work as a teacher. She graduated with a degree in education from Ohio State University in 1932 and joined Delta Sigma Theta, founded at Howard University to provide support for people in underserved communities.

It was also the same year she married G. Lamar Harrison, who was named president of the Colored Agricultural and Normal University (now Langston University) in 1940. As wife of the president, she hosted many distinguished guests, including W.E.B. DuBois and Nat King Cole.

But her life was not without tragedy. In 1948, her eldest son, Gerald, died at age 13 in a car accident. Two years later, her second son, Richard, died of an asthma attack at the same age.

Through all the despair, it was public service that kept her going, said her great-great-niece.

"It's where she channeled her grief," Smith explained. "She strove for excellence from herself and others. … She believed that it's how you press on through the struggles of life that really exemplified one's character."

Mrs. Harrison served as Delta Sigma Theta's national president from 1956 to 1958, a time of great change, especially surrounding civil rights. The sorority's Christmas party in 1957 was a fundraiser for the students who integrated Little Rock Central High School, a battle that riveted the nation.

"She was a role model, mentor, sister and friend who will be greatly missed," said current national Delta Sigma Theta President Cynthia Butler-McIntyre.

In 1960, the couple moved to the Prairie Shores apartment complex on the South Side. Mrs. Harrison continued her activism, serving as a board member for a wide range of organizations, from the Chicago Metropolitan YWCA to the Chicago Urban League to the Art Institute of Chicago.

Her husband died in 1986. She continued to live at Prairie Shores until 2008, when she moved to a senior facility.

"Being African-American and a woman made service important to her. It didn't matter what the world labeled you. … It's how you respond, not react," Smith said.

She is also survived by four other nieces.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Jan. 4 at Sixth Grace Presbyterian Church, 600 E. 35th St., Chicago.